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Debiopharm Group™ (Debiopharm), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of innovative prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, and Aurigene Discovery Technologies Ltd (Aurigene), a Bangalore-based fully integrated, global biotech focused on small molecule and peptide drug discovery and development from target identification and validation to pre-IND drug candidates, today announced the successful nomination of a development candidate, Debio 0617, a novel inhibitor of an undisclosed oncology pathway. Debio 0617 has started IND enabling studies and is expected to enter clinical development in 2012.

Debiopharm and Aurigene have been collaborating for five years. In November 2008, Aurigene’s fragment-based drug delivery technology platform had generated potent leads against the target. Both companies signed an exclusive worldwide license agreement, excluding the territories of Japan and the rest of Asia, to develop and commercialise Debio 0617. They defined a target molecular profile at the beginning of the program. Now, 20 months later, both teams have successfully identified the development candidate which better fits the initial target molecular profile.

“What exciting news! As we expected, this program has delivered a development candidate molecule as well as several potential follow-on compounds,” said Rolland-Yves Mauvernay, president and founder of Debiopharm Group™. “Once again, Aurigene has demonstrated its dedication and professionalism.”

“This represents an important success not just for this scientific program, but also for the strategic path that was established through this agreement between Debiopharm and Aurigene. This is a truly synergistic relationship that takes advantage of the proven experience, expertise and processes at Debiopharm, coupled with the speed, flexibility and high-quality science at Aurigene. It also paves the way for a larger synergistic alliance between the companies,” added CSN Murthy, CEO of Aurigene.

About Debiopharm Group™ (Debiopharm)
Debiopharm Group™ (debiopharm.com) is a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs. The group in-licenses, develops and/or co-develops promising biological and small molecule drug candidates having reached clinical development phases I, II or III. Debiopharm is also prepared to consider earlier stage candidates. It develops its products for global registration and maximum commercial potential. The products are out-licensed to pharmaceutical partners for sales and marketing. Besides drug development, Debiopharm Group has recently embarked in the field of companion diagnostics with a view to progressing in the area of personalised medicine.

Debiopharm independently funds the worldwide development of all of its products while providing expertise in pre-clinical and clinical trials, manufacturing, drug delivery and formulation, and regulatory affairs.

About Aurigene

Established in Bangalore, India, in 2002, Aurigene Discovery Technologies Ltd (aurigene.com) is a drug discovery biotech focused on small molecule and peptide drug discovery. With proprietary Structural Biology and Fragment-based Drug Design technology platforms, and experienced scientific leadership, Aurigene is a fully integrated Drug Discovery company focused on small molecule and peptide drug discovery and development from target identification and validation to pre-IND drug candidates in oncology, metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases and anti-infectives.. Aurigene has- a proven track record of successful partnerships with big and medium-sized pharma and biotech companies globally. Aurigene has 10 drug discovery collaborations and a pipeline of 20 discovery programs at various stages, from Hit Generation to late-stage Pre-Clinical Optimization, and has filed over 25 patents across its programs.

Established in Bangalore, India, in 2002, Aurigene Discovery Technologies Ltd (aurigene.com) is a drug discovery biotech with a proven track record of successful partnerships with big and medium-sized pharma and biotech companies globally. Aurigene has 10 drug discovery collaborations and a pipeline of 16 discovery programs at various stages, from Hit Generation to late-stage Pre-Clinical Optimization, and has filed 16 patents across 6 programs. With proprietary Structural Biology and Fragment-based Drug Design technology platforms, and experienced scientific leadership, Aurigene is a fully integrated Drug Discovery company focused on Oncology, Inflammation and Metabolic Disorders.

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